Ms. Ellen D. Leonard, L.AC.

Stress and emotional issues are some of my favorite things to treat because acupuncture works so very well! Generally I see people twice a week until their stress levels are low or gone between treatments. At that point we start spreading their appointments out to once a week, then every other week, and so on until they are happy with their ability to handle what life throws at them. After that they just come for what we call tune ups to help them when they need a little boost.

If I could, I would get acupuncture at least once a month for the rest of my life. There are no side effects other than improved health and well being, it can be used to keep us healthy and happy, and it helps stop any budding problems from developing. So would I advise getting acupuncture long term? You bet! I have loads of patients who have been coming for years who come once a month or so just to stay balanced and healthy.

So if you're in a position to get acupuncture ongoing, go for it.

Back pain is one of the most common things people see an acupuncturist for. It is extremely effective and long lasting.

If the pain doesn't respond within 4 or 5 treatments, sometimes my patients also need to see a chiropractor to get the spine off the nerves causing the pain, but once they get a few adjustments, the acupuncture can do its job and we can get rid of the pain.

As far as how it helps, I had to go to school for 4 years to learn that. Tough to explain in a paragraph. Suffice it to say that it's about getting stuck energy unstuck so it doesn't hurt anymore. It's a totally different approach than western medicine, but it certainly wouldn't have lasted as a medical practice for thousands of years if it didn't work. So yes, I would certainly recommend you see an acupuncturist sooner rather than later. The longer you've had a problem, the longer it takes to get to the root of it and fix it.

Hope this helps!!

Not having examined your mom-in-law, and not knowing what medications she's taking, I can't really tell you if it would help. But I have rarely come across a condition that acupuncture, and perhaps herbs and diet tweaks, can't improve. as long as it isn't medication induced. As to how long her treatments would go, again, it's very personalized. Normally we get a handle on the condition with treatments twice a week, and then we can taper off to tuneups whenever she feels the need - if at all.

I would certainly give it a try if it were me. Who wants to feel sleepy all day?!

Absolutely! I would also recommend you find, and start taking, a good food enzyme formula. That by itself can sometimes take care of the problems you mention.

You betcha! We also have herbs available to us that can help this kind of condition. I would definitely give acupuncture a try. But remember, it doesn't happen over night. Most conditions take a series of treatments to heal. And if you don't get relief from the first acupuncturist to try, find another who works with herbs, too. But do give them a fair trial - several weeks at least.

Acupressure uses the same points as acupuncture, but uses pressing instead of needles. You can do acupressure at home, whereas you need lots of training to do acupuncture.

They are not done at the same time - it's one or the other at any given appointment.

Absolutely! Acupuncture can be very effective for asthma, and there are many wonderful Chinese formulas that can be used in conjunction to acupuncture if need be. Chinese formulas are made entirely from plants so they are natural and don't harm your liver. Most of my asthma patients are now off their pharmaceuticals and taking either homeopathics or Chinese herbal formulas for breakthrough asthma.

I would certainly give it a try - acupuncture is such an ancient form of medicine that there's very little it cannot affect with the right knowledge! You might call the acupuncturists in your area and ask if they've had luck stimulating hair growth. We all have our strengths and specialties, and you might find someone near you who can help with this.

Yes, acupuncture can help a great deal with arthritis. But I have found that there is often a cause other than natural aging for acute arthritis, namely gluten intolerance. Gluten has been linked to all the major diseases in our society today, arthritis being one of them. Once patients get off gluten, their symptoms usually go away, but you do have to watch for it hidden in processed foods. It's certainly worth a try since the painkillers aren't working for you.

Hi!

First, let me commend you for researching complementary medicine for you back pain. It can be extremely effective for many causes of back pain.

To answer your question, there is no set length of time needed for treatment, but the rule of thumb is that the longer you've had a condition, the longer it will take to fix it. The reason for this is that acupuncture is not a bandaid or a placebo. We are balancing the body's energies so it can actually heal itself. This usually takes time - and consistency. I see people twice a week until their pain levels go down and stay down between treatments, and then we start spreading the appointments further apart. This varies widely from patient to patient.

As far as being a lifelong commitment, the goal is for the problem to be resolved so you don't need to continue coming in. Sometimes people will come back for tune-ups to keep things stable, others will return only if the pain starts to return. Many never have to come back at all.

Having said that, acupuncture works at a whole body/emotion level, so I have many patients who continue coming in just because they feel so much better in other ways, when they do. It's a nice "side effect."

Hope this helps!

You betcha! Acupuncture is all about balancing the body's energies, so any imbalance is a case for acupuncture.

By the way, you might want to get yourself checked for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Most doctors don't test for it and most people who are hypothyroid have it and don't know. It is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid, so it needs to be treated differently than regular hypothyroidism. The main difference is that you need to be off gluten. This may be what is causing your imbalance, so you might want to look into the effects of gluten.

Hope this helps!

Hi,

I know losing weight can seem like an impossible task, but there is hope!

To answer your question, yes, there are acupuncture points in the ear to help with appetite control and the urge to put things into your mouth. But I also find that doing a detox cleanse is necessary to eliminate the toxins that we have all been exposed to through the air, food, and chemicals we use. This is because our livers can't keep up with all these things, so our bodies try to protect us by surrounding those toxins with fat. We diet, get rid of the fat, but as soon as we go off the diet, the fat comes back because the toxins are still there. So getting rid of toxins first is key.

I also always look at diet and eating habits, and inevitably the patient and I can come up with ways to tweak it so that the new "diet" is acceptable and palatable enough to be a lifestyle change that can be sustained. This is key to taking the weight off and keeping it off.

So yes, acupuncture can help, but it's only one tool we use to get healthy again.

I hope this helps!

Absolutely!! I have a patient who had had a migraine for 3 months. He came in for treatments, and after the first treatment his headache was reduced 80%. After the second treatment, it went away entirely. Now he comes in every month for a treatment and he no longer has them.

I have another patient who had had a migraine for weeks, and after the first treatment it was completely gone.

So yes, I would most definitely find an acupuncturist in your area so you can get in a couple of times a week at first. And if you don't get results from the first acupuncturist, try another one since each of us has different ways of treating.

Good luck!!

You bet! Try to get an appointment right away. In the mean time you might try taking food enzymes with every meal, and a strong course of probiotics. Anyone who has had antibiotics, stress, or been exposed to toxins from the air, soil, or food should be taking probiotics anyway. And anyone with gas or acid reflux or who is over 40 should probably be taking food enzymes because our bodies don't produce them as well or as much as we age.

Yes, I treat GERD very frequently. As a very important part of the treatment, I also give my patients food enzymes and probiotics. The GERD happens because food is not digesting quickly enough, sits in the stomach, and ferments. The biproduct of fermentation is gas which opens the valve above the stomach and allows the stomach acid to flow upward. Food enzymes help the food digest more quickly and completely and pass down into the rest of the digestive system so the acid reflux does not happen.

Absolutely! In fact, emotional issues such as anxiety are some of my favorite things to treat because acupuncture is so effective for things like anxiety, depression, and panic attacks.

Diet is certainly the main cause and cure of high cholesterol. But increasing Vit C can help heal the arteries walls so cholesterol doesn't accumulate. Acupuncture can balance your systems so they work more efficiently and effectively, so I would definitely seek out an acupuncturist in your area. They can also help you with diet.

Acupuncture will most definitely help him get over AND keep him from getting bronchitis in the future. There are also herbs that a practitioner will prescribe to help him get and stay healthy. If you see your acupuncturist regularly and follow their instructions, it is very, very effective for this sort of thing.

Yes, acupuncture can help balance the body's systems - decreasing ones that are in excess and increasing those that are weak. Your practitioner will probably also recommend dietary changes and herbs to help with her anemia.

Absolutely. I use acupuncture very effectively for both tension and migraine headaches, even those that western medicine have had no affect on. Your acupuncturist might also explore diet with you as certain chemicals like aspartame can cause headaches to occur.